![]() As for offseason additions, the biggest need is quality depth. The biggest question with Robinson is are we going to be able to bring him back next year? He may have possibly played himself out of Dallas’ price range so we’ll just have to wait and see what Jerry does. Sure his reception and yard numbers aren’t as high as Bryant’s, but he played fewer games than Dez and eventually established himself as Tony Romo’s go-to receiver in the red-zone. The true top performer at the wide receiver position was Laurent Robinson with 54 catches for 858 yards and 11 touchdowns. Austin spent most of his time dealing with nagging hamstring injuries and only produced 43 catches for 579 yards and seven touchdowns. Bryant spent most of his time fending off double teams and press coverage on his way to a 63-catch, 928-yard, nine-touchdown stat line. With names like Dez Bryant and Miles Austin on the roster you would think one of these two would be an automatic lock for 2011 top performer. Locking him up for the foreseeable future is in the best interest of the Cowboys and the running game. When he was in the game he brought back memories of “Moose” Johnston breaking holes open for Emmitt Smith and the Cowboys averaged 5.6 yards per carry and produced roughly 145 yards per game. With Fiammetta out of the lineup last year the Cowboys only rushed for 83.8 yards a game, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. When he was battling an illness during the season there was a noticeable difference in the ground game production. He paved the way for DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones and if we plan on having steady production out of these two, Fiammetta is crucial. Tony Fiammetta was the Cowboys only fullback on the 2011 Cowboys that made a contribution. If Murray, Felix Jones and Phillip Tanner can stay on the field we’ll have one of the best running back corp in the league. Keeping the backs we have healthy is the biggest area of need here. If he can come back to top form, he will be a bright young player for some time to come. Sadly his season was cut short week 14 when he sustained a broken ankle early in a loss to the New York Giants. The dual-threat back produced all of this in 13 games, starting seven of them. Murray posted 897 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and 183 yards receiving. When he finally got in the lineup, and got his carries, he didn’t disappoint. He was hampered by a hamstring injury in the preseason. ![]() When forced to do so however, DeMarco Murray came out on top. None of the backs on the roster were able to stay healthy for the entire season so it’s hard to pick a clear-cut winner. Is McGee ready to step in and be Romo’s primary backup or do we bring in a veteran to back him up? Or even a draft day upgrade? The only thing that needs to be addressed is the backup quarterback position. He is far from perfect, as we saw in the Jets and Lions games, but he is by far the best option on this roster. Romo’s mobility and quick release are huge assets and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Snap after snap flew over his head and time after time he found a way to fight through the pain and make something out of nothing. When Washington came to town in Week Three, Romo rose above the pain of a punctured lung and broken rib to bring Dallas a victory on an ugly night. The other two, Jon Kitna and Stephen McGee, were both thrown into the fire this year and neither produced. How much criticism Tony Romo gets he was by far the best performer out of the three quarterbacks on the roster. This, like a lot of these, was a no-brainer. Also, by looking at who performed at a high level, we can get a better idea what we have and where we need to go in terms of free agent signings and draft day selections. And we should point those out and look forward to next season when we can get another chance to see these players in action. I know it wasn’t a season to remember but at the same time, there were bright spots on all three phases. We’ll take a look at the offensive positions first and then defense and special teams will follow in coming weeks. © 2023 Detroit Lions, Ltd.In this first of three posts focused on the 2011 Dallas Cowboys top performers, I’ll take on the role of head coach and review the team’s performance and point out weak spots that need to be addressed this offseason. No portion of this site may be reproduced without the express written permission of the Detroit Lions.
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